There is a legend as to how the city was
founded:
In Mtskheta, King Vakhtang let his hawk loose one day and it chased after a pheasant. The
King waited. He could not see the hawk, nor the pheasant. He Followed the path that the
hawk had, taken down the valley. At the bottom of the valley flowed steaming waters, the
colour of sulphur. The pheasant had drowned and the hawk sat above. Enchanted with the
source of the hot waters, the King founded Tbilisi in the valley' (Tbili' means warm in
Georgian).

A blend of cultures, a smell of spices on the air, different nations
meeting on street corners, different faiths sharing the same courtyards, ...this is Tbilisi, the city that has been dominated by
traders, warriors, tyrants and dictators in turn. Take a
walk around the old town, and breathe in the living past. Visit the bustling markets, the
ancient sulphur baths, the dazzling treasury, and the magnificent churches, and gain a
sense of the crossing place of the Caucasus. Tbilisi - It is a town which conquers you
with a slow fascination and lodges in your heart forever.